Exciting Food Trends for 2018

To survive in any industry in today’s marketplace, the key is to provide something new or being able to adapt in response to emerging trends. This holds true especially in the extremely competitive restaurant industry where patrons become bored and are looking to try next new thing.

It can be extremely difficult to keep customers coming through your doors unless you can change with the times and offer something unique, whether that is food, atmosphere or an experience.

Gut Healthy

As medicine and health sciences advance, we learn more about what is actually good and bad for our bodies when it comes to foods we consume. Gut-friendly foods are expected to become a very popular trend. The idea revolves around pickling and preserving foods to enhance their pre- and probiotic qualities. These include probiotics like kimchi, miso and kefir and prebiotics like onions, garlic and other alliums. These foods can help regulate and keep our digestive system healthy and working properly.

Booze-free

With millennials choosing a more health-conscious route with the foods and drinks they consume, some forecasters believe that millennials are drinking less alcohol. Premium tonic waters with refreshing and unique flavors, non-alcoholic cocktails and botanical mixes have found a large opportunity within an underdeveloped market.

Aloha

While Spam remains a Hawaiian favorite, poke bowls of all varieties have made their way into the mainstream food market. If you aren’t familiar with poke bowls, just imagine all the popular ingredients of a common sushi roll thrown into a bowl. This is a fresh, filling option for those seafood lovers looking to try something new.

Tea

Move over coffee, tea has started to really make a name for itself in the beverage world. Specialty teas are beginning to show up in stores and restaurants, while tea shops are taking root and competing with longstanding names in the coffee business. Many have begun turning to tea for a variety of health reasons as an alternative to coffee.

Hyper-local

In the last few years, there has been a gigantic push to source local ingredients. Now, an even more localized trend is emerging called ‘hyper-local’. While often hard to come by, hyper-local focuses on foods that are sourced within walking distance. Obviously, this presents a large challenge and only can be realistic in very specific circumstances, keep an eye out for this trend because it may surprise you.

Heme

One trend that has yet to hit the mainstage is heme (pronounced ‘heem’), which is the Greek word for blood. This food science marvel is the being used by tech-food startup Impossible Foods to enhance their plant-based burger. One of the main appeals of meat, if you ask any meat lover, is the reds and pinks of a perfectly cooked cut of meat. Heme helps bring that desirable meat quality to non-meat options.

Plant-based protein

Following along with the heme trend, more and more individuals are turning to plants to get their required protein. Arguably much healthier options than most meats (especially red), plant-based proteins like tofu, tempeh and quinoa have been increasing in popularity over the last few years and experts only expect it to increase in the coming years.

Nootropics

While there has been a lot of focus on how the foods we eat can impact our health, one fairly new trend to capture our attention is consuming nootropics, aka brain food. These types of foods have been shown to help promote healthy brain function and other brain-boosting qualities. So the next time you see foods like turmeric, salmon, eggs, dandelion greens, jicama and many more, just know that you are helping your brain and satisfying your hunger.

These are just the trends based on the food aspect of the restaurant industry. There are several new trends and ideas that are becoming extremely popular for helping the efficiency, security and overall success of restaurants and bars. One such trend is restaurants and bars utilizing video imaging to help maintain SOPs, monitor employee working habits and reconcile with POS systems.

Glimpse is leading the way in sales analytics and process monitoring by helping bars and restaurants identify areas of risk, capture all revenue and eliminate unnecessary costs. To learn more about Glimpse, visit https://glimpsecorp.com/contact/ to sign up for a free demo today.